The Hero
by prettypriestess
Summary: It was like some sort of twisted paradox, but worse because Felix was now the enemy. IsaacFelix. Vignette-style Oneshot.


AuthorNotes: Okay the FF3 muses won't listen to me. They want something new and have gone on strike in the form of becoming Golden Sun muses. This was originally written at somewhere between 5 & 8 this morning. This seems like a normal hour to be writing (sort of) but I was up at five because I actually stayed up that long. However, this should be coherent enough to be considered 'good'. By the way, I pretty much skipped anything that wasn't a lighthouse.

One last thing: what is the plural of ply? Is it plies, or plys or ply? Or several ply spells, or what?

Warnings: A bit angsty, pretty crackish. Isaac doesn't get much of a personality in the first game, so I took the liberty of creating one myself. He apparently likes denial and hysterics now. I apologize in advance. It also has a bit of a rushed quality, for which I also apologize. Spoilers for like, _everything_.

Pairings: Mostly just Felix/Isaac, but there are (very light) hints of onesided Garet/Jenna & hints of Jenna/Sheba (mostly in Isaac's head).

Rating: T for language mostly.

Notes: This was originally based on a Twilight quote, but it kinda flew away at the end. Also for the end of Prox thing: after you beat the game if you so choose, you can run around and say goodbye to everyone.

_And so the lion fell in love with the lamb._

_What a stupid lamb._

_What a sick, masochistic lion._

Edward and Bella, _Twilight_

._And the record begins…._

Isaac, Garet, and Jenna had been beyond surprised to see Felix in the Sanctum. Isaac and Garet even moreso when they recognized the travelers (temple robbing bastards!) with him as _Mystery Man_ and _Mystery Woman_. Had they not been there Isaac and Garet could have gotten help! If it weren't for Sauturos and Menardi (such foreign names…) Felix would never have "died" in the first place.

Without them he wouldn't have lived, either. It was like some twisted paradox, but worse because now it meant Felix was the enemy.

The strange temple robbers had taken Jenna and Kraden. And Felix, too, because Felix would never go with people like them. Then a big, rocky eye-thing had told him that he and Garet could follow them, but it never forced them. It was not necessary, Isaac had made up his mind to follow Felix already.

Three years of tears were not going to waste.

…_Destiny's always calling, but only a few can hear it…_

Ivan was travelling with them now. After the initial agreement to not read their minds (it felt so gross! It was like Isaac's brain was being poked!) Ivan kept breaking, the young wind adept had decided to join their quest. He had blushed when he read Isaac's mind, apologizing for reading a well-hidden thought.

Isaac later recognized the thought as an actual feeling, rather than just a thought. It was love, swirled with a bit of relief and desperation to find Felix. He smiled, thinking that it was just a bit beyond "fraternizing with the enemy" to actually fall in love with them.

…_Love is the sworn enemy of Reason…_

They met again at Mercury lighthouse. It was too late to stop the beacon, but at least Isaac (with much help from the new water adept) kicked Sauturos's ass. Wise One be damned, that beacon was probably the only reason that they had survived that battle.

Their new addition to the party appeared to actually know the blue-haired weirdo that traveled with the kidnappers. Isaac disliked the enemy Mercury adept most of all, he just had an aura of general creepiness about him. Or maybe it was just the eyebrows.

It hardly mattered anyway. The blue-haired weirdo was taking the other blue-haired weirdo to the elevator. No doubt to catch up with their companions-no, their _companion_. Felix would never ally himself with such terrible people. If they were people…

…_Just let it out, bottling it up won't bring him back, y'know?…_

Nevermind whatever adventures may lie between the lighthouses, Isaac was determined to keep up with them. When they were younger, at least three years ago, Isaac had always kept up with Felix. He always knew where his friend would hide, always knew what shortcuts to take to keep up. Garet was more interested in Jenna at the time, but Isaac was content to be around Felix then. (Surely he couldn't have changed too much, right? )

Isaac paused to idly wonder when he had fallen in love with Felix. (Three years ago? Or just a few weeks?) And despite the betrayal (no! he wouldn't!) Isaac wondered when he began hoping that Felix would take Jenna and Kraden and just run. Run away from the kidnapping temple robbers, run back to Vale. Back to him.

Wise One be damned, the lighthouses weren't the only reason Isaac was on this quest.

…_If you lose sight of your path, listen for the destination in your heart…_

By the time the merry group of four, consisting of Isaac, Garet and their new allies (friends?) Ivan and Mia, reached Lalivero, it was confirmed that Felix – no, he wouldn't – that Sauturos and Menardi had taken another hostage. Iris knows why they needed some sky-orphan. Mia had calmly suggested that perhaps they needed a Jupiter adept for the Jupiter lighthouse.

Isaac snorted and kept walking. Reasons were unnecessary. All that mattered was that they take Felix, Jenna, Kraden, and _Sheba_ back. And, if that _was_ the reason that Sauturos and Menardi had taken her, then it just meant Isaac's party needed to get them back sooner.

…_May the gods have mercy on them, because I won't…_

At Venus lighthouse the self-proclaimed heroes fought again, this time Isaac's party came out entirely victorious. Sauturos and Menardi fell into the lighthouse, dying as the beacon was lit. At last, they were free! Sheba could go back to Lalivero, and Jenna, and Kraden could come home! And Felix-Felix, where was Felix? He was just –

Suddenly the lighthouse was a mass of confusion as it split. There was a lot of shouting and pointing directed at the area Felix had been standing near a moment ago. Isaac had been so consumed with relief and joy moments ago, but this-this was bad. There was a terrible sense of déjà vu after Felix jumped off the lighthouse. Isaac could not actually hear the resounding splash, but he knew it had happened.

Why? He repeated in his mind, whywhywhywhy, Sheba fell from the sky, right? Surely a lighthouse was nothing in comparison! Selfish bastard, Isaac thought angrily. Never again, nevernevernever…It took all of Garet's strength to stop Isaac from jumping after Felix and Sheba.

Betrayal be damned, those damned scaly freaks were gone! He was so close-so close to being together, they could call it the end of the quest and head home. So close…Dora had always told Isaac that close only counted in slow dancing. He choked out a laugh between his definite _not_ sobbing (it was raining those weren't tears).

And soon, it really was raining, and by then Isaac was laughing hysterically at the irony of it all. Felix was the damsel in distress. The hero always falls for her, right? Except Felix was decidedly _not_ a her. Isaac laughed harder at the thought of Felix slow-dancing in a dress, some horrible frilly pink atrocity that Jenna would absolutely love.

…_We are the heroes, We die and cry for those who have no more tears…_

Isaac barely spoke after that, choosing to remain at the ship Babi had given them as much as possible. He barely ate, until at last there was news from a town called Madra of an adept and four travelers passing through.

Who this mystery adept was hardly mattered, what _did_ matter was that the others (Felix!) were still alive and would be on their way to Jupiter lighthouse.

…_And from the darkness, Hope sprang…_

In Jupiter lighthouse Isaac had rushed carelessly ahead, ignoring anything that wasn't a sign that Felix and his group had been here. A mistake, he soon realized.

Mia was now trapped on a ledge, and Garet, fool that he was had rushed after her, ending up worse off than she was. Isaac immediately regretted thinking of Garet as a fool, after all, wasn't he rushing after Felix just as foolishly?

And then he could see Felix, he was below them, but not close enough to save Garet or Mia. While Isaac was distracted two new Proxians appeared. The whole thing had been a trap. Dirty bastards, Isaac thought angrily. There was no choice but to fight, nevermind the fact that both he and Ivan were tiring from the trek through the lighthouse, they _had_ to survive until Felix came to the rescue. Because he would – Felix would save them.

Felix arrived a moment later than Isaac would have liked, but (he laughed to himself as he thought it) heroes always show up at the last minute, and since when did Isaac need saving? When had _he_ become the damsel in distress? Felix looked better in the frilly pink atrocity.

There was some sort of arrangement being made while Isaac struggled to hold onto consciousness, as well as not break into hysterical laughter again (too much effort for one half-dead man to make). Felix was supposed to get the Mars star? Eh, what? Isaac mentally shrugged (he was entirely too exhausted to do so physically) and handed it over, mumbling that he trusted Felix. He managed to catch the determined, protective look Felix gave him, and he smiled as he passed out.

…_Do you have someone special to you?…_

A soft blue light awoke him moments later. Garet and Mia were safe, Isaac was the last to be healed. He sat up too quickly, making himself incredibly dizzy. There was no frilly pink atrocity in the crowd of blurry spinning figures around him. "Where'sh Felix?" he slurred.

Short red blurry spinning figure gasped. "Felix!" Must be Jenna, Isaac thought. Short red blurry spinning figure quickly rushed to check on its – _her_ brother. Garet must be happy to see short red blurry spinning figure-er, Jenna. Whatever.

Several ply uses and a cure later, Isaac began to near coherency. Purple-blonde blurry spinning figure (which he later determined must be Sheba) looked at him to check for vital injuries, before rushing off to help Jenna and the others. Isaac wondered if Sheba could be considered Garet's rival for Jenna's affection. He burst into laughter at the thought of Sheba in the frilly pink atrocity, and Jenna wearing Felix's clothes. Jenna made a weird hero.

Mia used her last ply on Garet, trying to make sure his arm was alright. By now blue and tall red blurry spinning figures had returned to just being Mia and Garet, respectively. Green-blond blurry spinning figure had returned to Ivan, who was trying to find a psy crystal in their pack.

Isaac began to drift out of his mental fog, realizing with a start that Felix was still gone. He immediately jumped to his feet, ignoring the dizzying effect that had, and rushed to the stairs. Ivan was the first to follow him, as the quickest of the party, though Garet and Mia were not far behind.

…_Always forgive your enemies, nothing else annoys them more…_

They arrived as Karst and Agatio stepped back, defeated for the moment, but triumphant in having stolen the Mars star from Felix.

They fled the scene before Isaac or any of the others had any chance of catching them. Ivan somehow directed the conversation to asking Felix's party to meet up in Contigo. As a show of trust Isaac walked to the elevator, watched the people he had chased so far rise out of sight, and he calmly walked away. Away from his love, away from his goal – especially away from his goal. Wise One be damned. Isaac would-_had_ followed Felix to the ends of Weyard. And he would do it again, as long as Felix didn't die again.

Even Mia could only heal so many wounds.

…_Hope is a fragile emotion, as it exists only in the imagination…_

Felix came to Contigo, of course. Isaac knew he would. They all met in Ivan's old house. Isaac was unsure if this should be attributed to Weyard being a small world, or if it was just the fact that they had traveled all over it.

After Isaac heard from Jenna that his father was still alive, he instantly forgave Felix. Hostages were a dirty trick. They both understood that much. Her reasons for running also made sense, neither of them wanted to fight their friends.

And, according to Kraden the world was _going _to end, or it was _probably_ going to end. That would explain why Felix was lighting the beacons – a slim chance is better than none, right? And Felix had always been the sort of person to play hero. He was what had inspired Isaac.

The hostage situation, coupled with Weyard's impending doom, not to mention the incredible winds that seem to have begin after Jupiter was lit, meant that it was necessity to light the Mars beacon. This was perfectly acceptable by Isaac. Wise One be damned, Isaac had finally caught up with Felix.

Hamma arrived around then, informing them that they would need to work together to light the beacon. She said that a powerful force would prevent Agatio and Karst from lighting the beacon. Hamma also turned out to be Ivan's sister (who knew?).

Isaac smiled, working together couldn't possibly be any more difficult than chasing each other all over Weyard, right? Wise One be damned, that beacon would be lit.

…_Starting a new journey may not be so hard, or maybe it has already begun…_

Isaac looked down at the two Proxians lying on the frozen floor. He felt a pang of guilt as they lie dying. The guilt was stronger now that he wasn't in hysterics, like after the battle against Sauturos and Menardi. Karst and Agatio seemed more desperate in their deaths. They had not taken hostages, either, Isaac noted bitterly.

Trying to outright kill him was different. Revenge consumes a person. This was clearly the case with Karst. Isaac watched from a few feet away as the solemn warriors gave up the Mars star, their last wish being to see the beacon.

…_My feet are glued to the path, but I walk it willingly, knowing my death will make a difference…_

"Betrayers! You have arrived!" A voice called to them from the storm. Felix rushed forward to throw the Mars star into the beacon. Psyenergy pushed him back, and suddenly a giant, rocky eye-thing blocked his path. It was too bad about the wind, Isaac thought. If the skies were clearer Felix might have been able to toss the Mars star under the Wise One.

In retrospect, perhaps Isaac shouldn't have damned the Wise One so much. He probably has a sixth sense about stuff like that. Damn it anyway. Why would a god-like being choose to look like a giant rocky-eye thing? It didn't make sense. There was quite a lot of shouting going on at this point. The Wise One seemed to think that they all knew too much.

Isaac made a mental note to kill Alex when he was done with the Wise One…Surely giant rocky eye-things were killable.

It summoned a miracle. The Wise One _summoned_ a _miracle_. It was a self-contradiction on its own! Isaac had no more time to ponder the impossibilities of _summoning_ miracles, as said miracle was now ready to bite his head off. Quite literally.

Wise One be damned, that star was going _in_ the lighthouse. Isaac raised his sword alongside Felix, Kyle would understand. Hopefully. They had two Mercury adepts, what could go wrong?

…_I am judge, jury, and executioner. Basically I skip the first two and start kicking your ass_…

All this arguing was getting on Isaac's nerves. Their parents would understand that their asses were kicked for the good of Weyard, right? Felix nodded in agreement. Isaac was bluffing though, his mom would ground him for the rest of his life for this.

They had known what they were doing, though seeing their own parents unconcious was still a bit of a startling sight. Piers and Mia tried to heal them, to no avail. Isaac watched as a haunted look began to fill Felix's features. Isaac had grown used to not having his father, the shock didn't hurt as much as the first time, but Felix had played the villain from the start to save all three of them.

So much betrayal, so much pain just to find that their parents were lost…

Jenna was already crying for them, Sheba was trying to comfort her. Isaac understood that nothing he could say could ease Felix's loss. Isaac and Felix both knew that there was no other way than to fight their parents, but knowing it was not their fault and believing it were two different things. Isaac did know one thing for sure: mom was _not_ going to be happy to hear this.

Kraden encouraged them to pull through their sorrow long enough to light the beacon. Felix listened and tossed in the final tiny gem, immediately rushing back to Isaac's side.

…_Morning brought mourning, tears for the dead_…

The beacon rose. The _final_ beacon. And then suddenly there were voices. Isaac had once heard from a hobo in Kaylay that sanity can only be measured by how much you lose. He was pretty sure the hysterics and Felix dying hadn't been enough to drive him off the deep end, but then again…

Oh, Mia can hear the voices too, that makes it okay. According to the voices a couple of little kids and Hamma had been told to warn everyone away from the lighthouses and Mt Aleph. That certainly couldn't bode well for Dora. Isaac glanced back toward the southeast, praying that his mother was alright.

After that there was no time to worry about Dora or anyone else, they had to grab Felix and Isaac's parents and get out of the lighthouse.

…_We are the heroes…We die and cry for those who have no more tears…_

In Prox Felix and Isaac took the longest to say goodbye, Jenna was getting impatient, but Felix insisted on taking his time. He led Isaac to the empty house that his parents, as well as Isaac's father, had stayed in. No one would be there now, of course.

Felix tried to apologize for leaving them all in the dark, for taking Jenna, for everything, but Isaac crushed their lips together, insisting that none of it mattered anymore. All these people were grateful for what Felix had done, and it was all over. They were going back to Vale (if there still is a Vale…).

…_What should I put for previous employment? Savior of the world? Does that count?…_

When they reached Vale…well, there _wasn't_ a Vale. Felix put an arm around Isaac's shoulders to comfort him. Gain a parent, lose the first.

Mia was mostly relieved to see that Isaac took this better than when Felix jumped after Sheba. No amount of plying could mend a broken heart (or lost sanity).

"Garet!"

Voices again? No, these were people, too! Isaac smiled, ignoring the tears of relief, "Mom!" Wise One be damned, Isaac didn't care anymore what the Wise One was thinking, all that mattered now was that everyone was alright.

…_I prefer a world where people live, no matter how smeared it is with sin_…

AuthorNotes: It is also possible to stay at the inn overnight as just Isaac and Felix (and nobody notices!) on your way out of Prox. Just a fun fact :D

Reviews are nice, concrit is nicer :D Flames will be promptly Doused :D

To my ff3 readers: here's something over 500 words :P


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